PEER envy

The last time Michelle Strebeck of Petal Municipal Court attended a Biloxi court clerk conference, she could feel the tension in the room as her colleagues discussed the State’s newly-required PEER reports.

“Especially among the smaller municipalities like ours, the clerks were almost panicking about the new requirements for the legislature’s PEER report,” she says. “But I just looked across the room at the Syscon representative who was there taking notes. I wasn’t worried. I knew Syscon would take care of it.”

Strebeck’s confidence comes from the way Syscon’s Court Clerk case management software has made Mississippi’s Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) reporting a virtually-automated process. Strebeck cites as an example her recently-compiled report of every city court case for six months. She produced that document in a matter of seconds.

“We are compliant with PEER because of Syscon. Without Syscon, those reports would take me weeks of long hours and late nights. To do that and keep the daily work going efficiently, we would have to hire temporary help, too.”

Before Petal’s Municipal Court went live with Syscon in October, 2008, Strebeck spent hours preparing mayoral reports. After that October software introduction, Strebeck used Syscon’s system to not only streamline the court’s daily work, but provide reporting capabilities for evolving needs. When a city, legislature or other oversight entity requires court data, Strebeck says Syscon is ready to respond.

“That gives me a lot of confidence. One of the things I love about Syscon is that they always have someone sitting in our clerk conferences, learning about any changes that are going to be made. Then they take that information back to their office and immediately start working on it. It makes my job much less stressful. Because of Syscon, I can not only produce the reports, but know they are accurate.”

Other clerks tell Strebeck they are jealous of her access to Syscon’s capabilities. She advises them to explain the company’s benefits to local officials. Even municipalities with small budgets should consider those advantages, she says.

“I tell them that it’s worth it, especially when city officials and mayor realize that in the long run, you get what you pay for.”

Strebeck also tells her clerk colleagues that they can rely on Syscon’s support personnel to answer questions quickly. She says she’ll continue to explain Syscon’s benefits to those who confess they’re a bit envious of how quickly she can prepare reports.